The 55th New York City Marathon starts on Staten Island on Sunday, Nov. 1, and you can follow it from almost anywhere. WABC-TV has it in New York, ESPN2 carries it across the U.S., and the official race app tracks every one of the nearly 60,000 runners expected on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge. For anyone heading out, it is free to watch from the sidewalk in all five boroughs.
On the road, Benson Kipruto and Hellen Obiri are back to defend their titles, Conner Mantz and Zouhair Talbi, the two fastest American men in history, race each other for the first time over 26.2 miles, and European record holder Andreas Almgren makes his marathon debut. Sifan Hassan and Fiona O’Keeffe have withdrawn. Our New York City Marathon hub has the full storylines.
Race Day at a Glance
- Date: Sunday, Nov. 1, 2026
- Professional starts: wheelchair races from 8 a.m., professional women at 8:35 a.m. and professional men at 9:05 a.m. ET
- Wave starts: 9:10, 9:45, 10:20, 10:55 and 11:30 a.m. ET
- TV in New York: WABC-TV Channel 7, with pre-race coverage from 7 a.m. and the race live from 8 a.m.
- National TV: ESPN2 and the ESPN App, 8 to 11:30 a.m. ET, with a Spanish-language feed on ESPN3
- Finish-line show: ABC, 3 to 5 p.m. ET
- Radio: 710 WOR and iHeartRadio
- Runner tracking: the free TCS New York City Marathon App
One thing to remember: daylight saving time ends at 2 a.m. on race morning, so the clocks go back an hour overnight. All the times in this guide are Eastern Standard Time.
Start Time Around the World
The professional women start at 8:35 a.m. ET and the professional men at 9:05 a.m. ET. Europe changed its clocks a week earlier, so the gap to the U.K. is back to five hours.
| Location | Professional women | Professional men |
|---|---|---|
| New York (ET) | 8:35 a.m. | 9:05 a.m. |
| Chicago (CT) | 7:35 a.m. | 8:05 a.m. |
| Los Angeles (PT) | 5:35 a.m. | 6:05 a.m. |
| London (GMT) | 1:35 p.m. | 2:05 p.m. |
| Paris, Berlin (CET) | 2:35 p.m. | 3:05 p.m. |
| Nairobi, Addis Ababa (EAT) | 4:35 p.m. | 5:05 p.m. |
| Tokyo (JST) | 10:35 p.m. | 11:05 p.m. |
| Sydney (AEDT) | 12:35 a.m. Monday | 1:05 a.m. Monday |
How to Watch on TV
In the New York area, WABC-TV Channel 7 is the home of the race. It goes on air with pre-race coverage at 7 a.m. and carries the race live from 8 a.m., with the broadcast continuing through the middle of the day. The same coverage streams on ABC7NY.com and the ABC7 New York app, and ABC7NY.com also runs a finish-line camera through the afternoon for anyone waiting on a runner in a later wave.
Across the rest of the U.S., ESPN2 has the race from 8 to 11:30 a.m. ET, with the same coverage on the ESPN App. A Spanish-language broadcast runs on ESPN3 in the same window. ABC then airs a two-hour finish-line show from 3 to 5 p.m. ET, which is where the stories of the mass field get told.
How to Stream the New York City Marathon
The ESPN broadcast streams on the ESPN App for anyone with a qualifying TV or streaming subscription, and the ABC7 New York stream is free in the New York market. The official TCS New York City Marathon App also carries live coverage of the four professional races, subject to broadcast rights where you are.
Listening on the Radio
710 WOR has the race on radio in New York, with the same broadcast on the iHeartRadio app. It is the easiest option if you are moving between viewing spots, earbuds in.
Watching From Outside the U.S.
NYRR’s international partners include Eurosport across much of Europe, India and Southeast Asia, RAI in Italy, L’Équipe in France, RTVE in Spain, TV Asahi in Japan, SuperSport in sub-Saharan Africa, ESPN International in Latin America and the Caribbean, and SMG in China. Partners for Canada, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East had not been announced when we published, so check your local listings. Last year the race was on TSN in Canada and on Fox Sports and Kayo in Australia.
How to Track a Runner
The free TCS New York City Marathon App, built by Tata Consultancy Services for New York Road Runners, tracks every runner in real time. Search by name or bib number, follow as many runners as you like, and use the race-day map to plan where you will see them. Timing mats record splits at the start, every 5K, halfway and the finish.
Download it and add your runners before Sunday. The phone network near the finish gets very busy, and plenty of spectators find the app slow to refresh in Central Park. If you are planning to see someone more than once, work out roughly when they should reach each spot from their goal pace, then use the live splits to decide whether to stay or move on.
Where to Watch on the Course
Watching the New York City Marathon is free anywhere along the 26.2 miles, except the start village on Staten Island and the five bridges, which are closed to spectators. These are some of the best spots, with the nearest subway lines:
- Fourth Avenue, Brooklyn (miles 2 to 4): the first big crowds after the Verrazzano. R train.
- Fourth Avenue and Flatbush (mile 8): where the three start routes come together, near the Barclays Center. B, D, N, Q, R, 2, 3, 4 and 5 trains.
- Williamsburg and Greenpoint (miles 10 to 13): lively, and a short walk from the G, L, M and J trains.
- Long Island City, Queens (just past halfway): the 7, G and E trains.
- First Avenue (miles 16 to 18): the loudest stretch of the race, where runners come off the silent Queensboro Bridge. N, Q, R, 4, 5, 6 and F trains.
- East Harlem (miles 18 to 20): the 6 train.
- Fifth Avenue (miles 23 to 24): the long climb to Central Park, where runners need you most. Q, 4, 5 and 6 trains.
- Columbus Circle (mile 26): the A, C, D and 1 trains.
If you are heading to the Bronx, note that the 2026 route has two fewer turns in Mott Haven, so a spot you used in past years may no longer be on the course. Because the course runs one way across the city, it is easiest to see a runner twice in Brooklyn and Manhattan, or on First Avenue and again on Fifth Avenue, which are only a few blocks apart. Expect trains to be packed after the race.
The Finish Line
The grandstand at the finish in Central Park is ticketed. Without a ticket, you can stand along Central Park South and around Columbus Circle, but you cannot get into the park north of the grandstands, and there is security screening at every entrance. Leave chairs, coolers, large signs, drones and selfie sticks at home. Runners meet friends and family on Central Park West, in a reunion area organized by the first letter of their last name.
Follow Along With Marathon Handbook
We’re in New York for race weekend. On Saturday, Oct. 31, we’re hosting a free shakeout run with Wahoo at 8:30 a.m. from Joe Coffee Company on Columbus Avenue, and Mile Zero, our live show, from 2 to 5 p.m. at the Jerry Orbach Theater on West 50th Street. All the details are on our race hub, along with our coverage of the professional races before and after Sunday.
Running it yourself? Build your plan with our NYC Marathon pace calculator, and read our ultimate guide to the 2026 race for start times, the course, the expo and the elite fields.
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